Ghana continues to find spectacular strides in the fight against poliovirus, with the closing confirmed case of Wild Poliovirus (WPV) recorded in 2008 and the most most up-to-date Variant Poliovirus (VDPV) detected in 2024. As the amount of confirmed polio instances and detection of the virus in the atmosphere decline progressively, the World Properly being Organization (WHO) and partners remain committed in minimizing the chance of reintroduction of poliovirus.
On 5 June 2025, the Ghana Properly being Service, with funding and technical the wait on of WHO, organized a training for discipline officers for a nationwide see on poliovirus containment and chance review. The exercise turned into designed to find certain biomedical laboratories handling poliovirus infectious or Presumably Infectious Offers (PIMs) are no longer inadvertently creating pathways for virus reintroduction.
Contributors on the orientation were trained on the exhaust of the WHO Open Information Kit (ODK) toolkit for conducting surveys, assessing dangers in biomedical laboratories, and supporting products and services to implement acceptable biosafety and decontamination measures in line with WHO’s containment guidelines (GAPIII and GAPIV). Discussions moreover coated see methodologies, biosafety and biosecurity practices.
Speaking on the training, Dr. Lawson Ahadzie, Chairman of the Nationwide Certification Committee on Polio Eradication, wired the importance of following up with the suggestions of the see.
“We’re in the final lap of polio eradication. What remains is ensuring that each person which you’re going to be in a location to imagine sources of virus reintroduction—significantly from laboratories—are identified and secured. This training equips discipline officers with the abilities to carry out sincere that”, he stated.
Dr Raymond Dankoli, World Polio Eradication Initiative Coordinator, highlighted the importance of the see and implementation of findings. “This can moreover be viewed as fragment of the ordinary response measures to the confirmed Polio event in August 2024”, he added.
The closing PIMs Glance and national chance review in 2022 identified seven laboratories across the nation storing Poliovirus Presumably Infectious Offers (PV PIMs). These materials were categorized as PIMs due to no laboratory investigations conducted. They were nevertheless securely contained within Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) laboratories, with stringent decontamination and extinguish management protocols. Moreover, 66 vaccine repositories across regional and district hospitals were discovered to contain Sabin/bOPV stocks for routine vaccination activities.
Dr. Michael Adjabeng, Surveillance Officer with WHO Ghana, emphasized the necessity for the involvement of all stakeholders in the containment activities. “Ghana has attain a ways, however the job isn’t finished. Containment is set responsibility. It’s about making definite we compose upon growth made. This see is a key fragment of that effort”, he acknowledged.
Findings from the see will seemingly be disseminated to key stakeholders, given the broader implications for containment and chance mitigation suggestions. This see will support title any PV PIMs novel in biomedical laboratories and be definite their acceptable handling and disposal in accordance with WHO containment guidelines for a polio free world.
For Extra Information or to Request Interviews, Please contact:
Abdul-Lahie Abdul-Rahim Naa
Communications Officer
WHO Ghana Country Office
Electronic mail: abdullahiea [at] who.int (abdullahiea[at]who[dot]int)
Tel: +233 20 196 2393
